I agree with Daniel. I have a No. 4 and I love it. By the way, what is the difference between the No. 4 and the 4T? Is is just that the impression cylinder is ground deeper to accommodate an offset blanket? I read the description on the Vandercook site but don’t fully understand what is meant by, “Same as the 4, but used to pull transparency proofs of type on transparent acetate or glassine. The proofs could then be contacted to film for offset negatives.”

Cheap is relative. If you want to print broadsides, posters or book work then this is a great press to own. But the price would need to be within reason of course. I’ve seen Vandercook 4 presses priced between $4k - $6k, I think that’s a bit much. But with that said, they aren’t making anymore.

Same as the 4, but used to pull transparency proofs of type on transparent acetate or glassine. The proofs could then be contacted to film for offset negatives.

The comment, “they aren’t making any more” reminds me of something my husband said while he was helping me restore my No. 4. He has an engineering background and he said, “You know, if they were making these presses today, they’d cost at least $25,000.” In an industrial setting that’s a reasonable price. For an artist printing broadsides, not so reasonable. But really, if you have the money, even $4K to $6K is not outrageous for what you get. Heck, every day since I bought my press, I see some bauble advertised in the newspaper that costs about the same, say a Lalique bowl or a Tiffany pendant. How many hours of sheer bliss are those things going to give you?

Couldn’t agree more! Actually, the price tag will likely be closer to “haul it away”. I can see the Vanderblog site will be absolutely essential if I’m able to take this monster on. I recognize several names here. I’m aka exile bibliophile over at flickr and my blog (http://exilebibliophile.blogspot.com).